Celebrate St. Raymond’s House!

On Tuesday, September 29th, Community Ventures celebrated the ribbon cutting alongside Depaul USA, the Office of Housing and Community Development, the Office of Supportive Housing, Councilwoman Marian Tasco, St. Raymond’s Parish and neighborhood residents.

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“With each project like this, we are getting one step closer to eliminating homelessness once and for all,” said Deborah McColloch, Director of Office of Housing and Community Development. “It is the City’s goal to meet the needs of the most vulnerable individuals in our communities.  By doing that, we improve our City.”

“The chronically ill homeless population is one that has been hit particularly hard over the years,” said Charles Levesque, President & Executive Director of Depaul USA. “These individuals frequently use the emergency room for primary care purposes, which is not only insufficient for their needs, but creates a burden on the healthcare system.  This new development enables us to provide the stability for each person to fully recover from their illnesses, while offering the support they need to make a fresh start.”

Community Ventures served as Development Consultant for Depaul USA, a homeless services organization, to renovate the former St. Raymond’s Convent into 27 SRO units for permanent housing for formerly homeless men and women. CV worked with the architects, Blackney Hayes Architects,  and contractor, Domus, as Owners Representative throughout design and construction to ensure project delivery and assisted Depaul USA with the project financing, which included funds from Office of Housing and Community Development, Office of Supportive Housing, Federal Home Loan Banks of Pittsburgh and New York, and private foundations.